Ipomoea
by Soaring Keys
Summary: A mission gone wrong sent Ino wandering the abandoned experiment lab alone. Indescribable creatures roamed the halls and fear was sinking in. There was no hope left within her and she had accepted defeat. Accepted that her life was over. But then came a light. (One-shot)


**Ipomoea**

Her feet heavily drummed against the hard wooded floors, worn wood creaked beneath her weight, causing her heart to beat frantically in panic. Idly she registered another creak echoing behind her.

_They're coming closer_.

Her breathing came out in heavy pants. Her hair wildly flickered with the hallow wind of her run. A scream nearby had her skidding to a stop on her heels. She listened closely to the scream, her chest lifting and falling rapidly as her eyes grew wide the longer the screamed until finally the poor person was put out of their misery. Their screams ended with a devastating gurgle and splatter.

Tears welled up as she stole a fatal moment to collect herself. She breathed heavily; sucking in air through her nose before blowing it out of her mouth. A few stray tears leaked from her eyes and ran across her sweaty, sticky cheeks. She thanked whatever god was perched upstairs for the traditional ANBU masks they wore. It was enough that her body trembled; she didn't need them having the satisfaction that she cried when she was alive.

_Come on, Ino. Get your act together._

A loud tormented creak echoed within the narrow halls. She turned and quickly studied the shadows. They were grinning at her, taunting her and spoiling the end of this story for her.

_You're going to die. _They sang as they danced across the floorboards, the flickering flames that hung on the walls aided in their dance, creating a crackling melody._ You're going to die here. All alone. All alone._

_All alone…_

She ran, blocking out their treacherous voices. She ran and ran, her feet thumped across the creaking floorboards.

She was suddenly lurched forward. Her body coming in contact with the worn wood of the floor viciously her head saved by her crushed mask. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe and couldn't fight as the voices came back and the shadows danced around her. _No one to save you. You're all alone. No one to save a poor defenseless girl like you!_

She curled up on her side, her body aching horrendously as she covered her ears in a poor attempt to block out the joyful singing. Their pitch grew louder and louder, their song with no rhyme and only the cackle of fire as their melody.

_Weak little lonely girl, about to die, all on her own._

"No." she rasped. "No…"

There was another loud threatening creak. She curled in on herself tighter as she shut her eyes. She prayed they wouldn't draw out her pain for as long as they did the others. She was a ninja. She had accepted that she would die at an early age as soon as she enrolled into that academy and strengthen her vow to protect the village wither life when she took on the rank of ANBU.

Another creak echoed around her. She winced when she heard footsteps pounding against the tormented wood, closer and closer they came. She tightened her hold on herself and shut her eyes shut, her hands cupping her eyes until all she heard were the shadow's taunting song and a dull ringing.

A rough calloused hand suddenly ran through her hair, she flinched back and yelped. Fear caused her bodies reaction, but her mouth remained shut. She wouldn't lower herself to plead for her life. She'd rather die before that happens.

The hands retreated and for a blissful moment she thought they had left her alone, most likely thinking she was so deranged that she would die on her own, her body will rot along with the wood.

Another yelp escaped my lips as those same hands came back, scooping me up by my knees and back and cradling my slim-muscled body against their owner's hard-muscled chest. From what she could feel this person, this man, had the strength to break her like a toothpick and cast away her remains. His hand alone was close enough to her neck to fold it inwards until the fragile bone that connected her neck and spine broke.

Yet, he held her carefully. His arms firmly holding her against his chest, one hand rubbed against her back in soothing patterns. She thought she could hear him whispering reassurances to her. He was careful not to jostle her wounds too much and she only winced occasionally when he touched a particularly fragile bruise.

It didn't take long until he placed her down, her back coming in contact with a fabricated ground. She felt some of her clothing shift, but panic didn't settle. She didn't think she would be raped nor was she going to be tormented. She could feel a gauze cover her wounds and another piece a cloth wrap around her waist where a shuriken had grazed her from an earlier battle.

The fear seeped away and churned into anger.

Slowly, her curiosity out won her and she opened her eyes to a sliver to study her mystical savior or demise. If he was only fixing her up in order to play with her fragile body more, she wanted to see him and battle him through eye contact.

She couldn't see much at first due to the severely darkened room, but there was a small line of light that trailed what she assumed was a door. It took a while. But she could finally make the outlines of the man's muscular body and wild hair. He was knelt over her body, his hands working on her aching wounded muscles with trained ease. From what she could dimly tell, his physical state wasn't much better off.

She allowed her hands to drop as she saw his hand go to close to her bust. She quickly grabbed his hand and held it above her, her body too weak to do anything more than a simply grab. The man quickly turned towards her and breathed a sigh. She wasn't sure if it was out of relief or disappointment, but she'd bet the latter.

"You're back." He said, his voice sounded raw, but it was familiar. She knew that voice, but her state of mind was blocking out her thoughts of recognition and refilling it with those of suspicion.

"Who are you?" She snarled as she attempt to sit up, falling onto her back as a wave of pain shot through her system. "What do you want from me?"

The man seemed to relax where he was kneeled. His head seemed to bob in a nod as he held out his other hand to prove he was unarmed. "Ino, calm down. It's me, Naruto Uzumaki." He stated slowly as he leaned forward to cast some of the light onto his features. She instantly recognized the dazzling blue eyes and sun blessed blonde hair. "You know; the annoyance of the village, the number one knuckleheaded ninja or the bane of your existence?" He chuckled breathlessly as he grinned his trademark foxy grin. "I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can come up with at the moment."

Ino gasped, having long since connected the dots and understood that he was a savior of the noblest kind. "Naru-to." She tested, the name rolling off her tongue in a whisper. "Naruto." She repeated the name so familiar on her lips, but the tone was the difference. It was too quiet, too gentle from her usual scream and scold.

Naruto smiled tight-lipped as he nodded. "Yeah, Ino… Naruto."

"Naruto!" She nearly shrieked as she found a slight burst of energy to throw herself into his chest, her hands clutching onto bare-skin. She dimly noted that the cloth he had used to dress her wounds was his own shirt and he was currently bare-chested, yet his skin felt warm and moist against her touch. "Where are we, Naruto? What… what are _they_?"

She felt Naruto draw in a deep breath before releasing it into her hair, his warm breath brought comfort upon her frazzled mind. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back. She felt them jostle as they hit a wall and he readjusted her so she was straddling his lap more comfortably. "This position really isn't good for your wounds." He commented his breath ghosting over her neck and she buried her face into his.

"I don't care." She nearly snarled as she sunk her fingers into his rough skin. "Please, what do you know?"

Naruto sighed as he leaned his head back as well. A slight thump echoed within the four walls that encased them as his head impacted upon the wall. "I'm not too sure myself, Ino." He informed her, his tone lowered than before atoned with exasperation. "Granny Tsunade had said it was meant to be a simple recon mission." His fingers tightened on her legs, sinking into her skin roughly. "It was supposed to be abandoned, but we- I should've known better. This was _Orochimaru's _abandoned warehouse. My best guess is that those things out there are his forgotten experiments."

She placed a hand on his, instantly causing him to relax his hold and mutter a quiet apology.

"It wasn't your fault. No one knew that those things were here." Ino tried to reassure him. "If anything… it was that Jackass Nolan's fault." Her words coming out more breathless than the last.

She felt Naruto's chest vibrate as he silently chuckled. "He is-was a new recruit, Ino. He had expected more action then a simple recon."

"Excuse me, but I don't remember a recon mission meaning to blow up an entire section of the building succeeding in only awakening those dormant creatures." A shiver ran down her spin as she thought back to what was lurking in the halls.

They're mouths agape, teeth rotting and limbs falling at the joints. From what she could note they used their loose bones as an advantage to bonelessly move through tight passages and avoid any and all sorts of attacks we could make. Even our Jutsus didn't work. No matter how many times they were torn apart or exploded, they'd somehow recollect themselves and multiplied. The more we fought, the more aggressive they got.

_You're all alone…_

"Ino… Hey, Ino. Come back to me, Ino." Naruto chanted as he shook her shoulders. He jostled her into awareness.

"Naruto… Naruto, we have to get out of here." She whispered frantically as she grabbed at his bare shoulders, her nails tearing into his skin as she sought his eyes. She needed to know she wasn't alone in this horror. She needed to know she wasn't weak. She just needed to know who she could trust

Naruto took a moment to meet her eyes and there she saw it. The same fear and panic that were more than likely mirrored within her own, but still his lips still to slip into an easy-going grin. His hand reached up and rubbed soothing circles on her spine. She knew he needed the physical reassurance as much as she did, perhaps even more.

He had lived most of his life alone; she supposed he definitely didn't want to die alone either.

A gurgled shriek echoed from outside as the sound something scrapping against the wooden boards. She could picture the deformed body of the monsters dragging itself through the halls, sniffing and gurgling loudly as it searched for a new prey.

Tears refilled her eyes as her breaths came out in pants. Naruto hurried to tuck her head beneath his. His chest was heaving and she could feel his racing pulse beneath her. She risked a glance up and saw him holding onto his own mouth, covering his own breathing in order to be as silent as possible.

A shadow crossed the slight line of light that shown through the door. Then it stopped.

The creature sniffled and gurgled just beyond the door. Naruto turned my head away from the sight, but could do little to block out the sounds. It lapped at the door, jerking on the knob and suckled on its teeth. This continued for several hour-like long minutes until finally it dragged its own mangled body down the hall.

We remained silent for several more minutes. It was Naruto who broke the tense atmosphere. The hand that had been cupping his own mouth dropped gently onto her head, his fingers stroked through her hair. He was playing the embodiment of calm, unlike his usual hyperactive nature.

"Hey, Ino…" He whispered, winning her attention as he continued to stroke through her platinum blonde hair. "You're a florist, right? Tell me what your favorite flower is?"

She looked up and saw him starring at the sliver of light that seeped from the door. His hands were moving absentmindedly across her body, petting her like he would a dog.

"What does that ha-"

"Tell me what your favorite flower is, please." He repeated. His jaw clenching as his eyes narrowed towards that meager source of light. "Tell me and I promise, I will get it for you once we escape." He tore his gaze away from the door and met hers head-on.

And there it was. That set determination, the unwillingness to back out of a fight and the stubbornness that would put a bull to shame. He wasn't the embodiment of calm; he was the embodiment of hope and light. His matted blonde hair was shining brightly in the dim lighting and his eyes glimmered with a thousand years of optimism. This was Naruto. This was the strength that only belonged to the man that held her.

Suddenly, her heart was racing and it wasn't due to the creatures that were roaming the halls outside. She knew exactly which flower she would want him to give her.

"I want an Ipomoea." She stated her eyes narrowing as well.

Naruto nodded, a smirk lifted the right side of his mouth. "As soon as we get out, I will get it for you."

Ino couldn't help it. He was contagious. A smirk lifted her lips as well. "You better."

Naruto held out his hand as he leaned heavily against the wall. Ino was quick to follow, flattening herself against the wall while clutching onto a kunai for protection. A gurgling came from around the corner along with a distinctive scrapping.

Naruto held out 3 fingers. Slowly, he lowered one. Then another. One finger was suspended in the air as he peered over the corner.

Suddenly that fell as well and he was gone around the corner. Ino didn't have much time to blink until she heard the startle gurgle and the squelching of a kunai sinking into flesh followed shortly by a splatter. Once she rounded the corner she saw the creature's twitching body withering on the ground and Naruto's bloodied tanned back.

"Hurry, it won't stay down for long." Naruto stated, casting a quick glance over his shoulder before jogging cautiously down the corridor. Her eyes widened as she hurried to catch up, her wounds slowing her down.

"Na-Naruto." She called breathlessly before leaning against the wall in a slump, clutching at the pain in her side. "Naru-to, give me a moment."

The blonde turned and ran back to her, without missing a beat he threw her onto his back as if she was weightless. "We'll get out of here together." He said as he began his jog down the corridor. "If you're in pain, say it. I would never judge you for that. It is okay to scared, you know."

Ino bit her lip, but soon tightened her hold around his brawny neck. Another gurgling sounded through the corridor, but this it was far behind them. Naruto picked up his pace and began trying to navigate through the long hallways.

"I'm afraid of ghosts, you know." Naruto suddenly said as he shifted his hands beneath her thighs, jumping her higher on his back. "The whole undead thing is just, well, creepy."

Ino nearly giggled, but instead she breathed heavily through her nose. "And this situation isn't?"

Naruto did chuckle, a deep, throaty and breathless sound that jostled her on his back. "Oh, if you weren't here I'd be trembling in a corner."

"So this is another attempt to show off?"

He skidded around a sharp turn. His breathing was beginning to become layered as he pushed forward. "Not at all." He stated, his voice sounded strained. "It's just now I have someone to protect."

Ino was silent after that. Her heart was touched at the rawness that sounded within his voice. Yet, there was something wrong with that statement. Something deeply wrong.

"You should protect yourself as well, you know. You're incredibly valuable." She muttered against his neck. She felt him shiver slightly, but passed it off as the cold wind hitting his bare skin, the poor man was still bare-chested seeing as he insisted on her wearing his ANBU flak-vest due to the fact that hers had been shredded horrible.

"Oh, trust me, Ino… I know."

She didn't have time to ponder on what he meant until he began skidding around yet another corner, only to see roughly 6 more of those hideous creatures blocking a door. They seemed to be clawing at it, trying their best to wrench the door open, but they kept being stopped by some sort of invisible force.

Her eyes widened with realization as a sprout of joy bloomed inside her chest. "Orochimaru must've feared them as well." She whispered as low as she could in his ear being as silent as possible. "He must've placed a jutsu around the building to never let them escape. "

Naruto nodded and silently released his hold on her, slipping her off his back and safely onto her feet. He met her eyes once, shushing her by placing a finger against his mouth and then proceeded to take out 2 shurikens. Again, he held out 3 fingers, this time she was ready.

As soon as the last finger lowered they both went into action, slicing out the creature enough to slow them down and with a powerful burst of strength from Naruto the door was nearly torn off its hinges and revealed the lushes greens of the outside.

Ino sucked in the fresh air greedily, dimly hearing the door to the warehouse shut. She took moments to relish in the feeling of getting out of that horror house with her life intact, but the feeling quickly diminished when she saw the sorrowful look on Naruto's face.

"We were 6 when we came." He stated as he stared at the warehouse, a large gaping hole on one side plugged by a pile of those filthy bone-free creatures.

Without saying a word she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him down to her shorter statue, causing him to fall to his knees and her along with him. She held him tightly against her chest as he shook with the shame of failing their newly recruited ANBU and the horrors they had been through.

She bent her head and cried into his hair, kissing the golden strands as she did so. Thanking and blessing them for saving her and refilling her hope, as well as introducing her to another part of the strange man she held.

"Ino!" A very familiar masculine voice shouted among the crowd of people. She turned around and smiled brightly when she saw the blonde hair bobbing around the crowd. "Ino! Wait up!" He hollered as he neared, finally managing to separate himself from the mass of bodies and stand before her, his hands behind his back. "Damn Ino, you're a hard woman to find."

"Oh, you know me, Naruto. Always on the move." She winked as she strolled into the shop, placing the new shipment of roses onto the clerk before turning to converse with the blonde.

"I've noticed!" He whined, pouting out his bottom lip. "You should really appreciate the work I went through to find ya! I even went to Granny Tsunade! She literally threw me out the window." One hand detached itself from his back to rub at his cheek that did indeed look quite red. "My face had a splendid reunion with the floor."

Ino giggled as she patted his sore cheek before leaning against the clerk desk, intentionally huffing out her ample chest.

It had been 2 weeks since the disastrous mission and the pair of blondes had gotten closer. But she could never get him to understand her willingness to push this friendship further. They connected in the warehouse in a way she had never connected with anyone else, and this made her willing to at the very least give whatever relationship she'd have with him a shot.

Unfortunately she had to fall for the densest ninja in all of history. Even Rock Lee had finally come to terms that Sakura never was and never will be interested him and has set his eyes on another prize, TenTen. But Naruto wouldn't be able to understand the fact that someone was flirting with him if they so much of kissed him right then and there.

An action that she had thought of doing several times, but resisted that urge quickly. That would more than likely confuse him into oblivion.

Shaking her head to relinquish the thoughts she pinned her lips into a smug smile as she eyes the arm still behind his back. "So whatcha got there? A present for me?"

Naruto sputtered, before nervously nodded his head. His face bloomed red as he suddenly drew his hand out from behind and thrust the boxed object in her hands. "I'm sorry it took so long." He began sheepishly as he kicked at tiny specks of rocks on the ground. "It took me a while to find out what kind it was and even longer to hunt it down. You sure do know how to pick 'em, eh? Only the best for Ino-chan!" He exclaimed with a loud nervous laugh.

Ino cocked an eyebrow as she kept the grin in place, her nimble fingers unwrapping the box. "What are you talking ab-" a gasp escaped her lips before she could finish the sentence. She studied the beautiful blue flower that was cradled in white silk fabric. Her fingers cautiously reached out and stroked the soft petals in wonder.

A laugh interrupted her thoughts though. "You are one sly woman, Ino. Do you know that?" Naruto commented. He was closer than he originally had been. Only an arms-length away that seemed to be rapidly closing.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, genuinely confused, her mind befuddled by the gift to register much else.

He chuckled as he stepped closer, his hand grabbing onto her waist and pulling her towards him. "I told you, I had to find out what sort of flower an Ipomoea was. I researched it thoroughly and also found out what it meant. You don't really think I'm that dense, do you?" He smirked as he pulled her flush against himself.

Ino's eyes widened as she realized what was going on, the box slipped from her fingers, falling graciously towards the ground. "Naruto… are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I belong to thee, Ino." He said before sealing his lips with hers into a blissful kiss.

A slight giggle escaped her as she realized what perfect timing this boy had. Right when she doubted herself and any possible relationship, he just swoops in with and claims what could've long been his. He was a light in the midst of darkness and a ray of hope in the times of darkness.

Above his shoulders she saw fading shadow, dying as the sun's light grew stronger. Their chant has long since quieted. Another giggle escaped her as her lips shifted into a smirk beneath his before she succumbed into the euphoria that was his kiss.

_I'm not alone. Not when I have him. That knucklehead._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: To state short and simple, I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. **

_**AN/:** _Alright, some of my readers already know about my disability at writing romance... But, if there's one thing I'm actually good at is a good horror story to get the blood pumping... My mother sometimes worries about that... Anywho! I figured I'd, for once, do a mix between romance and horror! I'm actually quite pleased with the way it came out.

_Reviews are highly appreciated ~_


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